Technical Abstract:
At least ten crops are contending for a new commercial category as sources of omega-3 fatty acids for healthful dietary supplements. The omega-3 fatty acid generally harvested from plants is: alpha-linolenic acid, also known as ALA, aLnA, C18:3n-3, 18:3-Delta-9c12c15c, or cis-9cis-12cis-15 octadecatrienoic acid. Fish oils are also commercially available sources for omega-3 including the forms eicosapentaenoic acid 20:5 and docosahexaenoic acid 22:6 which are rare in plant sources. These ten omega-3 crops are commercially developed to the stage that they can be purchased from internet sites by searching for the crop name + "omega-3": black currant (Ribes), borage, (Borago), chia (Salvia), flax (Linum), hemp (Cannabis), perilla (Perilla), purslane (Portulaca), pumpkin (Cucurbita), walnut (Juglans), and wheat germ (Triticum). In addition to commercial omega-3 crops the following plant genera have at least one report of omega-3 at high levels; with more than 30% of the seed comprised of an oil containing more than 30% omega-3 in the fatty acids: Agrimonia, Aleurites, Arabis, Calamintha, Calocedrus, Cryptantha, Descurainia, Euphorbia, Helleborus, Lallemantia, Malcolmia, Micromeria, Nicotiana, Odontites, Phyllanthus, Plukenetia, Saloa, Saxifraga, Tetradium, and Thuja. Many conventional leafy vegetables contain some Omega-3 but purslane, watercress (Nasturtium) and mint (Mentha) have higher concentrations than most foliage sources. The following conventional crops have Omega-3 at moderate concentrations, avocado (Persea), canola (Brassica), sesame (Sesamum), and soybean (Glycine); and they are frequently included on popular lists of omega-3 sources.